Procrastination is the Devil

By Michelle

My mom told me she’s giving up procrastination for lent. Hmm…I didn’t give up anything for lent this year and haven’t for the past few years. In the past, when I’ve given up something, it has been a half-hearted attempt. As in, I don’t really mean to give up ice cream. If the opportunity for ice cream presents itself, I’m still going to take it.

But that’s not the point of lent.

So I said I’ll give up swearing. And that didn’t last long. About 30 minutes, actually.

Which brings me back to my mom. Procrastination is the devil. Truly. It does you absolutely no good, and in fact, could harm you if used too frequently.

I haven’t been writing posts lately, and it was noticed. I didn’t like it that someone called me out on the floor. I was procrastinating. I told myself I didn’t feel creative, or no one reads this blog anyway. And, the most useful excuse, I couldn’t carve out the time.

I’m sick of the excuses. So, mom, you are right. I am giving up procrastination for lent and truly, I am forcing the devil away from me. Last night, I organized my files and shredded documents that were five years old. Today, I am writing this #*&@ blog post no matter what. And I feel really good.

What did you give up for lent? (I don’t recommend giving up sweet treats, it just never pans out.)

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14 Comments

  1. Gal_Vet on March 19, 2011 at 11:23 am

    I’m not Catholic, so don’t give things up for lent, but I could sure use a G-dly nudge to give up my procrastination. There’s a book inside of me that’s been trying to get out for years….



  2. The Hunter's Wife on March 19, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    I’ve never given anything up for Lent (I’m Babtist). If I tell myself I’ll stop eating cupcakes, all I’ll think about is eating a cupcake.

    Hope to see you blogging more!



  3. Rebecca on March 20, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    So this is a first…and it’s only because I’m going to the Bahamas fly fishing end of the week, but I’m not doing my usual procrastination dance till Monday. So since you are getting back on the blog wagon, I’ve decided to give you some inspiration (you can kill me after my trip if you’d like)
    BUT—-this is to let you know, I’ve just picked you to be one of my featured Outdoor Bloggers on the OBN tomorrow….
    I’ll make the announcement post go ‘live’ tomorrow.

    Smile!
    Rebecca



  4. Michelle on March 21, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Yeah!! Thanks Rebecca! Looking forward to seeing that post.



  5. Michelle on March 21, 2011 at 11:30 am

    Get it out there, Sara! They have those “write 1000 words a day” challenges for book writers, maybe that’s what you need to get in gear. Good luck!



  6. Phillip on March 22, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    The only way to get it done is to do it. Whether it’s building a house or writing a blog…

    As far as Lent, non-Catholic here too, although I’ll celebrate Mardi Gras at the drop of a hat.



  7. Rick on March 23, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    You are so right Michelle. Every time I had said I would give up something it made me want to do it even more so why bother.

    Oh ya by the way I just found your blog thanks to the OBN, sorry it took me so long.

    Whitetail Woods™
    Whitetail Woods Blog / Deer Hunting and Blackpowder Shooting at it’s best.



  8. Michelle on March 23, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Glad you found me, Rick!



  9. Joel on February 13, 2013 at 1:23 am

    Hello – just wanted to say I googled “Im giving up procrastination for lent” (because I am this year) and this came up first. Cool to see someone else already did it. How did it go? Were you able to keep it up until Easter? Has it changed your work habits permanently? [just curious 🙂 ]



  10. Michelle on February 18, 2013 at 9:40 am

    Hi Joel – thank for stopping by. Well, I did pretty well with it. I know I had some ‘slips’ in there. But the best thing is that its something that’s in the back of my mind always now moving forward. I’m more aware if I can do something today versus putting it off for tomorrow.



  11. Corey on March 2, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    Hey Joel, I did the same exact thing! Googled “give up procrastination Lent” and clicked on this blog! Would you like to be Lent accountability buddies? Let me know!



  12. Corey on March 2, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Crud, I just realized that was last year you posted the comment. How did it go for you?

    And Michelle congratulations on getting that paradigm shift to be more aware of doing things today. Is it still with you? Thanks for the blog!



  13. Michelle on March 3, 2014 at 8:43 am

    Oh procrastination is still VERY MUCH with me. I was actually thinking if I should try again…but I have until Wednesday to decide…:)



  14. Testing Yourself for 40 Days and Nights on March 5, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    […] as one of my most popular blog posts EVER on this site is a random post about giving up procrastination for Lent, I thought I should repeat it, because hey, why mess with […]